Extension-table.



C. KUEHN.

EXTENSION TABLE.

. APPLICATION FILED FEB- 5, I9I7 l ,236, 320.. Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

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Hofman l c. KUEHN. V EXTENSION TABLE.v APPLICATION FILED F Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

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WITNESSES.-

ATTORNEY.

C. KUEHN.

ExTNsloN TABLE.' APPLICATION man FEB. 5. 19u.

1,236,252@ PamedAug. 7,1917.

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C. KUEHN.

EXTENSION TABLE.

` APPucATxoN- HLED FEB. 5, 191-1. 1,236,320. Patented Aug. 7,1917.

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CHRISTIAN KUEHN', OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

EXTENSION-TABLE.

Application filed February 5, 191'?.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHRIs'rIAN KUEHN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extension-Tables, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in extension tables; and it consists in the novel features of construction more fully Set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The present invention is directed to that class of tables whose length may be varied by the addition or insertion of leaves or sections between the separable halves forming the top of the table, the object of the invention being to provide means for 'storing the leaves beneath the table top when the halves forming said top have been brought together, the table being so constructed that as the halves of the top are pulled apart for the purpose of extending the table, the leaves stored beneath the table will be automatically and successively elevated into the plane of the table top; and when said plane has been reached, they will, with the eXcepw tion of the middle leaf of the series and the last to be elevated to the plane aforesaid, be seized and drawn outwardly by the. respective halves of the top as said halves are being moved farther and farther apart; and when the halves with their attached leaves have been Vpulled outward their full limit, the leaf forming the middle of the series and the middle of the extended table, will be velevated into the plane of the table top thereby accomplishing the desired extension. There is of course sufficient play between the parts to allow for the dowels to enter and be w'thdrawn from the sockets provided for them in the several leaves as well understood in the art. A further object is to provide a table of the character referred to in which not only the elevation of the leaves with an extension of the table, but their depression into position beneath the table with a contracting movement of the tablel halves, shall be automatic. rlhe structure contains a numberrof novel features the advantages of which will be fully apparent from the following detailed description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a top plan of the op.-

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Ano'. "Z, i917.

Serial No. 146,787.

top, ta le-top sections or halves; Fig. 3 is a similar section but with the table fully extended and showing in longitudinal middle section the last leaf of the series to be raised into position; Fig. l is a top plan of the operat- Y ing partsshown unfolded, the leaves and a portion of one of the halves of the table top being removed; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the table collapsed; Fig. G is a vertical middle cross-section through the leaves and table-top sections when the latter have been pulled out to their first extended position or sufficiently to elevate the top leaf of the series into the plane of the table top, parts being broken away; Fig. 7 is a vertical crosssection through the leaves and through the table top sections, the plane of section being in the region of the hooks carried by said members, the parts corresponding to the collapsed position of the table; Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 7 but with the table ,fully extended; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 4c, with the leaves however shown in place; Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional detail on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9; Fig, 1l is a vertical sectional detail showing the manner of securing the rail bars carried by the table-top sections; Fig. l2 is an` enlarged vertical sectional detail showing the hooks on the leaf and tabletop section; Fig. 13 is a bottom plan of Fig. 1Q with the oscillating leaf to which the table-top hook is secured, omitted; and Fig. la is a bottom plan of the bottom leaf of the series.

Referring to the drawings, B, represents the base of the table from which rises a central standard S, said standard carrying the table-top supporting frame or cross, C. The terminals of the transverse or longer arms of the cross C are formed with open top receptacles a, the bottom of each receptacle `being formed with a step or offset 7L, the

portion of the bottom leading from the top of the offset serving as a support for the vertically movable frame or follower l on which the extension leaves L, L', L, rest, the receptacles a (one at each end of the cross arm of the frame C) jointly constituting as it were, a housing for the leaves. The bottom of each end of the frame 1 is engaged by the transverse terminal member of a bell-crank lever frame 2 hinged to oscillate about a hinge rod 3 mounted in the lugs 4, 4, on the transverse cross arm of the frame C, the middle portion of said terminal member being enlarged into a disk or bearing Z against the bottom of which bears the upper end of a coiled expansion spring 5 deposited in a socket m in the receptacle bottom adjacent the base of the offset h. )Vlien the outer arm of the bell-crank lever frame 2 is in a depressed or horizontal position (Fig. 2) it rests on the receptacle bottom at the base of the offset L, the spring 5 being compressed into its socket m. 1t may be stated in passing that both sides of the table being alike, a description of one side will suffice for both. The side members of the inner arm of said bell-crank lever frame 2 pass through slots s, s, in the frame C below said frame, the free end of said arm being loosely coupled te a laterally movable or reciprocable slide frame comprising a cross piece or plate 6 and depending side arms 6, 6, the portion 6 resting on the cross or frame C, and the arms 6, 6, projecting downward through slots S, s', to couple to the bell-crank lever frame 2 (Figs. 2, The cross piece 6 is provided at its outer longitudinal edge with a wear plate or shoe 7 one end of which is bent or bowed away from the aXis of the short arms of the cross C, said plate forming a bearing for a roller 8 at the end of a centrally pivoted lever 9 mounted on a stud 10 at the intersection of the axes of the cross C. Each arm of the lever 9 is pivotally coupled to one end of a link 11 whose opposite terminal carries a pin 12 traversing a longitudinal slot t formed in each of the sliding rails 13, 13, the outer end of the rail 13 being secured to al block 14 fastened to the table top section or half T, the opposite rail 13 being secured to the other half or section T of the table. The rails 13, 13', are disposed adjacent to, butr on opposite sides of, the axis of the short arms of the cross or frame C, the rail being provided on the side away from said axis with a rounded offset or .shoulder n, the opposite rail 13 being provided with an inclined shoulder or offset n.

Secured to each table-top section or half (T, T,) on each side of the block 14 is a block 15 (Fig. 10) to the under side of which is fastened an angle bracket 16, the vertical leg of the bracket being secured to a sliding reciprocating rod 17 which operates tele` scopically in a tube or pipe 18, the terminals of the pipes being provided with longitudinal peripheral slots w to allow for the free play of the vertical legs of the brackets 16 to which the rods are secured. The pipes 18 are dispo-sed in pairs as shown, being secured to the frame C by U-bolts or straps 19. Spanning the pairs of pipes 18. and

serving as a bearing for the stud 10 about which the oscillating lever 9 is pivoted, is a strap 20, the links 11, playing between said strap and the cross or frame C. Formed in the bottom faces of the sliding rails 13, 13, adjacent to the inner edges thereof are beveled recesses or notches r, r', operating to receive at the proper time the spring actuated leaf of a hinge 21 whose opposite leaf is secured to the frame or cross C, the leaves being of suiiicient width to come in the path of movement of the respective rails. That is to say, each rail is free to pass over the hinge-leaf engaging the notch of the opposite rail and in so passing over the leaf it depresses it sufiiciently to cause the leaf to leave the notch, the leaf referred to operating as a pawl or dog well understood in the art and requir` ing no prolonged description. For a purpose presently to appear the notch r in the rail 13 is farther from the outer end of the rail than is the notch r in the rail 13.

Hinged to the opposite walls of the receptacles a are boards or leaves 22, to which are in turn hinged similar boards or leaves 23, the latter being pivotally secured to the top sections T, T, of the table, and operat ing as levers of the first class, to the short arms whereof are pivotally secured the adja` cent terminals of suitable gripper strips or bars 24 terminating at their free ends in hooks e and free to pass into the receptacles a when the table is collapsed across the tops of the recesses or notches 0 formed in the side walls of said receptacles (Figs. l, 4). The hooks e coperate with the terminal hooks e', e, formed in the strips 25, 26, projecting through the recesses 0 from the sides of the leaves L', L, of the series, as presently to be described, there being three extension leaves shown in the present em bodiment of my invention, though 1 do not wish to restrict myself to any particular number of leaves. The bottom leaf L is provided with gripper strips 27 on each side, the strips terminating in hooks 6. The slide frame 6, 6, is preferably mounted on rollers a: for an obvious purpose. The strips 24 are preferably additionally supported by straps 28 secured to the table top and operate loosely in grooves c in the table as shown in the drawings.

The operation may now be readily understood, and briefly stated is substantially as follows: Let us assume that the table is in its collapsed position (Figs. 1, 2, 7). )Ve first pull outwardly or separate the top sections T, T, far enough to expose the leaves L, L', L, resting in the housing formed by the compartments a, a, (Fig. 6). In so pulling the sections T, T, to the extent indicated, the rails 13, 13, connected to the respective sections will have been pulled in opposite directions a distance to bring the rollers 8, 8i, of the lever 9 into engagement with the offsets or shoulders n, a', of the respective rails, the former or rounded offset n having the effect of arresting as it were any further separating movement of the table top sections, the position of the parts being at that moment substantially as indicated in Fig. 6. With the table top sections T, T, thus separated, and with the leavesy exposed, the expanding action of the springs 5 (which are now no longer held compressed by the table top sections T, T, as in the case when the leaves are held down by said sections in the collapsed position of the parts, Fig. 7) now asserts itself, the springs lifting the several leaves a distance corresponding to the thickness of one leaf, and thereby bringing the upper surface of the uppermost leaf L into the plane of the table top. For this extent of movement of the parts the rail 13 carried by the top section T is still resting on the spring-actuated leaf of the hinge 21 coperating with the rail 13 carried by the section T, thus preventing the said leaf from entering or snapping into the notch r of said rail (Fig. 6); and so far as concerns the spring-controlled leaf of the hinge coperating with the notch r on the rail 13 carried by the table top section T, that also is still out of register with the recess on said rail.` Having separated the sections T, T, sufficiently to expose the leaves, and to permit the top leaf of the series to be lifted into the plane of the table top, we now seize the section T, and pull it outwardly in which act the hooks e of the strips 24e seize the hooks e of the leaf L (the hooks having been brought into engagement by the elevation of the leaf L into the plane of the table top) and the leaf L is pulled out with said section T. Tn this further outward movement of the section T', the roller resting at the base of the incline or oset n is caused to ride up said incline thereby causing the lever 9 to oscillate counter-clockwise, the roller engaging the offset a passing off said offset, bo-th rollers being forced into positive engagement with the plates 7 of the slide frames 6, 6, the oscillation of the lever 9 as stated forcing the slide frames apart, with the result that as these frames move outwardly they bring about a depression or downward oscillation of the inner lever arms of the bell-crank lever frames 2, causing the outer arms to become elevated. In this elevation the said arms lift the follower 1 and this in turn lifts the leaves L, L, (the leaf L-having been withdrawn by the table top section T) thereby bringing the top of the middle leaf L into the plane of the table top. In this position of the middle leaf its hooks e are brought into register with the hooks e of the strips 24 on the section T. By now pulling on the table section T we drag the middle leaf L with it so that now both sections T, T, have a leaf coupled thereto and in the same plane therewith. As the section T is approaching the last portion of its final outward movement the pin 12 riding in the slot t of the rail 13 secured to said section reaches the end of the slot whereby a pull will be exerted on the link 11 carrying said pin and a final limited counter-clockwise oscillation will be imparted to the lever 9 whereby the slide frames 6, 6, will be still further pushed outwardly and the bell-crank lever frames 2 still further oscillated in proper direction to raise the last leaf L of the series to the plane of the table top, when its hooks e will simply be engaged by suitable depressions Z) formed for their reception in the adjacent leaves L, L, and thereby prevent the last leaf from an undue elevation brought about by an excessive pull on the table-top section. We now have the table fully extended. Of course there is always suicient play between the parts to permit the dowels p to enter their sockets in the adjacent leaves. In fact this play is necessary to release the top sections and the leaves from each other in the act of collapsing the table. To collapse or contract the table the reverse of the foregoing operations is resorted to; and in addition, it may be stated that to start the collapse or contraction of the table, the middle leaf L must first beY manually depressed to compress the springs 5 and enable the table sections T, T to be shoved inward.

lVhen the table is expanded, it will be observed that the notch r on the rail 13 is engaged by its pawl or leaf 21, the opposite pawl 21 being removed from its notch r formed in the rail 13 a distance substantially the width of a leaf (Fig. 4). The object of locking the rail 13 by the pawl 21, when the table is extended, is to prevent a closing or inward movement of the section T, until the section T has been closed or shoved in. The reason for this is to depress the leaves into their housing in the inverse order in which they were lifted out of it, and this can only be done by holdingback the leaf L until the leaves L, L, have been depressed. When however the leaf L has been depressed by moving inwardly the section T, the rail 13 of that section moves over the pa-wl`21 controlling the rail 13 secured to the opposite section T, leaving said section T free to be moved inwardwh-en the said section is finally shoved inward to contract the table. It may be stated in passing that by the time the section T has been pushed inward sufficiently to drop the leaf L, the pawl 21 snaps into the notch r of the rail 13 carried thereby and arrests said section against further movement. The section T is finally moved inward whereby it drops its leaf L onto the other leaves, by which time the rail 13 carried by said section rides over the pawl 2l engaging the notch'r of the rail 13, forcing said pawl out of engagementwith its notch and releasing the section T. Both. sections T, T, (now occupying positions as shown in Fig. 6) are ready to be shoved inwardly, over the leaves, the latter being manually depressed to overcome the tension of the springs 5, when the sections T, T, may be moved over the leaves (Fig. 7). When the table is extended, the members 2:2, 3, in their dilated or open position serve to support the leaves. In fact the main purpose of these members is to support the leaves L, L, for an extended position of the table, the leaf L resting on the bell-crank lever frames 2. I do not wish to be restricted to the number of extension leaves or to the specific details here shown as these may be departed from without affecting the nature or spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim is 1. In combination with a table provided with a top comprising a pair of movable sections normally juxtaposed and meeting at the center line of the table, a plurality of leaves mounted beneath the top, springs for effecting a partial elevation of the eaves with an initial separating movement of the sections, and means controlled by the sections for successively elevating the leaves independently of the springs into the plane of the table top with a further separating movement of the table top sections.

2. In combination with a table provided with a top comprising a pair of movable sections normally juxtaposed and meeting at the center line of the table, a plurality of superposed leaves mounted beneath the top, springs for automatically elevating the leaves to bring the top leaf of the series into the plane of the table top with a partial separating movement of the sections, means controlled by the sections for automatically elevating the remaining leaves successively into the plane of the table top with a further outwa-rd or separating movement of the sections, and means for coupling certain leaves to the top sections when elevated to the plane of said sections.

8. In an extension table, a suitable supporting frame, separable half sections forming the table top, tubes disposed in pairs on opposite sides of the center of the table and parallel to the direction of movement of the top sections, rods secured to the top sections and reciprocating in said tubes, a centrally pivoted lever mounted on the frame and adapted to be oscillated in a horizontal plane by anA outward movement of the table top sections, suitable sliding members adapted to be pushed outwardly by the oscillations of the lever aforesaid, bell-crank lever frames coupled to the sliding members aforesaid and operating to oscillate upwardly with an outward movement of the sliding members aforesaid, a series of extension leaves adapted to be successively elevated into the plane of the table top with the upward oscillation of the bellcrank` lever frames aforesaid, and means on the table top sections operating to seize certain leaves of the series and pull the same out-. wardly with the respective sections, the last leaf of the series to be elevated into said plane remaining as the center leaf of the table. y

4i. In combination with a table provided with a top having movable and separable sections, leaves of substantially even thickness with the top positioned beneath said top, springs coperating with said leaves to raise the same a distance equal to the thick ness of a leaf with a partial separating movement of the top sections, means controlled by the sections for successively elevating the remaining leaves of the series into the plane of the top of the table with a further separating movement of the sections, means on the top sections for seizing the leaves and moving the same outwardly upon reaching said plane, and hinged members operating` beneath the leaves and aifording a support for the same when the leaves are moved to their outward positions.

5. In combination with a table provided with a top having movable and separable sections, leaves positioned beneath the top, means cooperating with said leaves and sections for elevating the leaves and successively bringing the same into the plane of the table top, boards or equivalent members hinged to one another and to a fixed support and to the sections respectively, one of said members operating as a lever, hooked strips or bars pivotally coupled to the short arms of said levers and controlled by said levers, and hooks on the leaves adapted to be engaged by the hooks of the bars aforesaid when the leaves reach the plane of the table top, said hinged boards or members operating to support the leaves when the same have been pulled out by the outward Vmovements 0f the table-top sections.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature,

.in presence of two witnesses.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

